Sogang University (SU, Korean: 서강대학교; lit. West River University) is one of the top private research university in Seoul, South Korea. It was established in 1960 by Fr. Theodore Geppert, SJ with the Wisconsin Province of the Society of Jesus. Sogang is the oldest Jesuit institution of higher education in South Korea.
History
Beginnings
At the initiative of the Catholic Hierarchy of Korea, Pope Pius XII gave assurance that a Catholic institution of higher learning would be established in Korea. In 1948 he entrusted the task to the Society of Jesus. In October 1954 Jesuit Fr. Theodore Geppert, SJ from Sophia University of Tokyo came to Korea in search of a suitable site to establish a Jesuit college.[1] In February 1955 Jean-Baptiste Janssens, SJ, the twenty-seventh Superior General of the Society of Jesus, assigned the task of establishing the college to the Wisconsin Province of Jesuits. Fr. Leo Burns, SJ, Superior of the Wisconsin Province of the Society of Jesus, came to Korea and, with the Korean Catholic Hierarchy, began negotiations with the Syngman Rhee government for the establishment of a liberal arts college. In January 1957 the Society of Jesus purchased a property of 67,075 pyong (217,323 sq. meters, 53 acres) at Nogosan, Sinsu-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. The site was prepared for construction of an Administration Building, which was completed in November 1959. Sogang College was opened in 1960 and was granted research university status in 1970.
Development
The 1979 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Mother Teresa visited Sogang in May 1981 and gave addresses in the auditorium and at the basketball court, appealing for all to practice a charity that is universal.
In 1984, the Korean Catholic Church celebrated its bicentennial. For the celebration, Pope John Paul II visited Korea on May 5, meeting with priests along with men and women religious in the gymnasium and with Korean intellectuals in the auditorium.
A Sogang University campus building
On April 24, 1985, Sogang's 25th anniversary was commemorated, with Sogang's founder Fr. Geppert, SJ as a special guest.
University symbol and slogan
The cardinal red university color symbolizes love, the Holy Spirit, martyrdom, loyalty, and victory. The silver chevron comes from the first letter 'ㅅ' of 서강 (Sogang), representing the intellectual spirit of Sogang and an ivory tower. The "IHS" comes from the first letters of the Greek name Ιησους (ΙΗΣΟΥΣ) for Jesus and is also found on the seal of the Society of Jesus, the Catholic religious order that founded the university. The medieval crown stands for the Virgin and Trinity, symbolizing wisdom.[2] Sogang University also has a famous slogan which is: Be as Proud of Sogang as Sogang is Proud of You (Korean: 그대 서강의 자랑이듯, 서강 그대의 자랑이어라).
Academics
Admission to Sogang University is highly selective and competitive in South Korea. Sogang's freshman intake belongs to the top 1% of their high school academic performance in the country, and the university is widely regarded as one of the top private universities and one of the most prestigious elite schools in South Korea.[3] However, the university's ranking lags behind its reputation and evaluation results because it has no medical school and fewer students than some other Korean universities.
Sogang Business School is among the top five business schools in South Korea. Located near Seoul's Financial District, alumni from the school had received the highest job-landing ratio for undergraduates among universities in Korea in 2006, 2007 and 2008: the percentages of employment in major companies measured by the Ministry of Education were 55.1%, 53.3% and 54.9% for these years.
The "Sogang School of Economics"
The university has contributed significantly to the rapid economic growth of South Korea during the last six decades since 1960. Faculty members have been deeply involved in shaping the country's future economic development model spearheaded through the top-level cabinet positions in the government by laying the groundwork of South Korea's rapid economic growth of South Korea since the 1960s. Due to these important engagements, a group of economists affiliated with the university and engaged in policy-making came to be called the "Sogang School." Based on its reputation, the school consistently drawn and attracted young talent of the highest intellectual caliber from around the country, mostly among applicants who scored in the top 1 percent threshold of the national college entrance examination. Sogang's economics department has been recognized by as near the top in South Korea in international scholarly journal publications.[5]
Sogang Korean Language Education Center
Sogang Korean Language Education Center (KLEC) was established in 1990 with the goal of popularizing and spreading the Korean language and Korean culture throughout the world.[6]
Since its establishment, over 30,000 students from overseas have learned about Korean culture and language by participating in its programs. Currently, an average of 3,500 students register for the Korean Language Education Center every year.[7]
Notable alumni and faculty
Alumni
Politics
Park Geun-hye, 11th president of the Republic of Korea
Park Geun-hye, 11th president of the Republic of Korea
In July 2010 four professors in the department of Business Administration were dismissed after exposing the mishandling of grant funds by a fellow professor. The professors appealed to the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology. Neither the professors nor the university were satisfied with the Appeal Commission's ruling, with both sides filing suit.[8]
